Team QROW
by MrBuckner
Summary: A story of beginnings and betrayal. This is the story of Team QROW, consisting of Qrow Rose, Roman Torchwick, Octavius Ozpin, and the younger brother of Qrow, Winter Rose, and their time at Beacon, before one retired from adventure, one betrayed his friends, one sought to guide others to make up for his mistakes... and one died from the betrayal of those closest to him.
1. Chapter 1 - Enter QROW

_"I have made more mistakes... than any man, woman, and child..."_

-Professor Octavius Ozpin aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

"Oz... Oz? ...Ozzy? ...OZPIN!" A young, formerly asleep, young man with silver hair jolted up from where he lay with a yelp of surprise, falling off the couch with a pained, "Oof!" Looking up in irritation, Octavius Ozpin squinted up at a pair of laughing, blurry forms before pulling his glasses from his pocket and putting them on. The blurry figures resolved themselves into the forms of his friends. On the left stood a tall, well-built man dressed largely in black, a long coat, pants, boots, but a white shirt, the leader of their team, Qrow Rose. On his right, grinning like an idiot and dressed in basically the same, though his pants and boots were white while his shirt was black and he wore a white, hooded riding cloak instead of a coat, was Winter Rose.

Ozpin sighed, standing up and brushing off his pants, his ensemble largely green, pants, shoes, and vest all green with a long-sleeved light brown shirt underneath. Looking at the brothers, he asked, "What do you two idiots want? And who let you into my room anyhow?"

Winter, the one who'd been the one to actually wake him up, chuckled, shrugging as he said, "Well, I guess if you'd rather miss the airship to Beacon and stick around here at Signal forever, we could always just leave you here?"

Ozpin blinked, saying, "What? The ships don't leave until 10:00?" The Rose brothers looked to each other before stepping aside, giving Ozpin a clear look at his alarm clock… which he'd neglected to activate the alarm on, showing the time to be 9:45. Ozpin stared at the clock for a few seconds, as if wishing that it would start going backwards. Instead, it ticked on to 9:46. With a shout of frustration, he started rushing around his room, gathering his things and shoving them in a bag.

As he rushed around, the brothers simply watched, Qrow glancing towards his watch while Winter tried to trip him a few times, eventually resulting in Ozpin throwing a show at him, eliciting a chuckled from the younger brother as he ducked beneath it. Once Ozpin was packed, he started to rush out before Qrow grabbed something leaning against the bed, saying, "Hey Oz! Don't forget your weapon."

Ozpin turned just as Qrow tossed him what seemed to simply be a silver cane. Ozpin grabbed it in his free hand, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he said, "Thanks, now let's get going!"

As he rushed out, Qrow and Winter followed, Qrow asking his brother, "Don't you think it's a bit odd that he's rushing us when he's the one who we were waiting on?" Winter simply chuckled and shrugged as they went to catch up to their friend.

About an hour later, the three of them were wandering the airship as it made its way to Beacon Academy, the greatest institution for the training of Huntsmen and Huntresses in the kingdom. Ozpin stood with his friends near a window, looking down as the brothers rambled, his cane, Emerald Path, in hand. Qrow had his scythe, Never Again, compacted on his back while Winter had Frost and Bite, dual sickles, resting on his hips.

"The view is quite impressive, isn't it gents?"

The three turned to see a rather young man standing there with a cocky grin on his face and a cane with a curved handle standing there. He was dressed in boots, black pants, and a white jacket with a black bowler hat atop his head of red hair. He was leaning casually on the cane as he reached up to tip his hat slightly, saying, "Hello there, see anything interesting out there?"

Ozpin frowned, saying, "The polite thing to do would be to introduce yourself, you know."

Qrow rolled his eyes, saying, "Yeah, but criticizing him isn't exactly polite either, Oz." Turning to the newcomer, he said, "Hey there kid, I'm Qrow. This is my little brother Winter, and our surly friend is Ozpin. You don't look familiar, did you go to Signal?"

The young man chuckled, shaking his head as he said, "What, me come from that place? Ha, no offense, but thank God, no, I didn't go there. I'm from Mistral actually, went to Sanctum before transferring to Beacon for this year. My name's Roman by the way."

Ozpin blinked in surprise, asking, "Really?"

As Roman nodded, Winter grinned, asking, "Mistral, huh? Never met anyone from there… heck, I don't think there's ever been anyone at Beacon from another of the kingdoms now that I think of it."

Roman nodded, saying, "Yep, I'm the first. Makes sense that I was sent, seeing as I was an advanced student."

Qrow let out a little laugh, saying, "Explains your age. I was wondering why someone so young would be going to an advanced combat school like Beacon."

Roman frowned, saying, "Young, huh? Well, I may be a bit young, but aren't you a bit old to just be starting at Beacon? What, were you held back a grade or something, big guy?"

Qrow frowned, the larger brother crossing his arms before Winter stepped up, his face stern as he said, "Hey, back off my brother! Yeah, he was held back a grade, but not because he's stupid or something. Being in a medical coma to recover from your injuries can kind of get in the way of classes. His first year at Signal, you know what he did? He killed a rampaging Nevermore! On his own too! Sure, it kicked the crap out of him first, but he still killed the big winged monster!"

Roman's eyes widened in surprise before he looked at Qrow in fascination, stepping closer, asking, "That was you!?"

Qrow blinked in surprise at the shift in attitude, taking a less aggressively defensive stance as he asked, "Uh… you heard about that? I thought you were from Mistral?"

Roman let out a laugh, saying, "Well, yeah, I am, but do you think just because I'm from a different continent I don't know about a kid who managed to kill one of the most dangerous monsters there are in this part of the world? Everyone's heard of you! Holy crap, I can't believe you killed a Nevermore?"

A light blush of embarrassment at the praise colored the tall black-haired warriors cheeks, though he smiled, obviously enjoying it, Winter giving him a nudge with a grin while Ozpin stood in the back, a slight smile of his own on his lips. He remembered when Qrow woke up from the coma and they'd finally felt like they could properly celebrate his achievement after almost a year of worry and concern for him.

He shook those thoughts from his mind as Roman said, "Wow… heh, this looks like it'll be a hell of a year. The first year with a guy from Mistral attending, the infamous Qrow starting there… hell, I even heard you've decided to open your doors and let one of those filthy animals into the school."

The smiles on the faces of the other three boys faded a bit, their expressions a bit uneasy as Winter asked, "Uh… what do you mean by that?"

Roman raised a brow, looking as confused as if someone had asked if there was a sun as he said, "I mean your headmaster decided to let one of those bestial freaks into your school. You know, the Faunus? Those weird… things with animal tails and ears?" As the Rose brothers and Ozpin looked at each other uncomfortably as a new side to Roman was shown, he continued on with a little laugh, saying, "You know, when I first heard those things would be at Beacon, I thought it was to clean, not to actually attend class. Man, have you seen those things?"

Just as he asked that question, the other three got a bit wide-eyed as a feminine voice behind him made a pointed motion of clearing her throat. Blinking, Roman turned around to find himself face to face with a girl with long, black hair… and thick, pointed horns, curled like a ram's adorning her head, almost like a black crown. She was dressed in a black ensemble of heeled boots, leggings, a long skirt, and a sleeveless top, all with purple lining it. In her hand was a short staff that reached up to her elbow made of a curving black wood with a green orb at the top. She was also quite tall, barely an inch shorter than Qrow's 6'6.

The Faunus glared down at Roman as she asked, "Would you care to run that by me again, little boy?"

Roman glared up at her, his grin and tone full of a challenging bravado as he asked, "What, do those things block your normal ears or something, freak?"

The girl's frown turned into a grimace, the orb of her staff flaring brightly, eyes matching the fell green-glow… before a hand reached out and gripped her arm, saying, "Molly, don't!" The girl started, turning slightly to look down at another girl, a foot than her. When Ozpin saw her, his jaw dropped in shock, the silver haired young man stunned by her beauty. She was beautiful, from her blackened glass heels, up to her long black hair and golden colored eyes, the girl wearing a beautiful dress of red.


	2. Chapter 2 - Enter MGIC

"_Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life.__"_

-The Narrator

The girl in the red dress turned her attention from the Faunus, seemingly a friend, and directed it towards Roman, saying, "Tell me something, do you judge every book by it's cover, child?"

Roman Torchwick, the prodigy from Mistral frowned, looking between the two before shrugging nonchalantly as he turned away, saying, "Hey, don't blame me because I call it like I see it." He started off, tipping his hat to the Rose brothers and Ozpin, saying, "I'll see you gentlemen later," before becoming lost in the crowd of new students.

The tall Faunus glared after him until he was out before she seemed to collapse within herself, a sad expression on her face. Qrow frowned, taking a step towards her, causing her stance to become guarded again, though she relaxed when he held up his hands with a friendly smile, saying, "Woah, relax! Listen, Molly is it? I'm sorry about that guy, what he said was… well… it was pretty messed up. We just met that guy, and I was about to say something so he would cut it out."

Molly narrowed her eyes, asking, "Oh? Was that before or after you saw me coming up behind him?"

While her friend in the red smirked a bit and Qrow blushed in embarrassment, obviously trying to think of what the 'right' answer would be, Ozpin stepped forward, saying, "It would've been before. My tall, dark, and flustered friend here may have more than a few bad traits, but he'll speak up when people go on about that sort of thing. He just takes a few moments to try and think of a tactful way to say it. My name is Ozpin, by the way, and the one in the white cloak is Winter."

Winter gave a cheery wave at the two of them who stared for a moment before the one in red stepped forward, her smirk turning into a polite smile as she offered a hand, saying, "Hello there, Mr. Ozpin. My name is Cinder, and you already know Molly's name." Ozpin nodded, smiling as he took her hand and bowed over it, placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand, causing both of them to blink in surprise at such an old-fashioned gesture, though Cinder's light blush and smile seemed to indicate it was a good move. As he stepped back, she nodded, saying, "And here they say that chivalry is dead."

Winter laughed, coming up next to his friend and throwing an arm over his shoulders, pulling him down a bit, much to Ozpin's irritation, as he said, "Well, if chivalry is dead, then Ozzy here is a zombie!"

Cinder gave a small giggle as Molly raised a brow, smiling slightly in amusement as she asked, "Ozzy? Wow, that's a knight in shining armor type name if I've ever heard one."

As Ozpin shoved Winter off of him, giving his nose a flick for good measure, Qrow stepped a bit closer to the tall, horned woman, saying, "Well, everyone has their nicknames, right? …Well, I guess not everyone since some names would be kinda hard to make nicknames for. I have one of those kind of names… I, uh, I've never had a… a nickname…" His words faded off as he realized that Molly was staring strangely at him, obviously finding his speech on nicknames more than a little… odd. He simply stood there in silence before turning, muttering, "I need to go take care of something," to which Molly simply nodded in agreement.

As Qrow walked away, he simply wandered around the airship, seeing several students mingling and chatting. There was a guy taller than him built like a brick house sporting blonde hair, a blunderbuss/axe on his back as he loudly told some story about a Beowulf with a skinny little guy with round glasses and neat green hair sleeping on a couch nearby. What was interesting though, was when he reached the back of the ship and could hear the sound of crying. Driven by curiosity, he quietly crept around one of the walls, beginning to hear the voices of two women, one consoling, the other struggling to keep her sobs quiet.

"I just… I can't take it! It hurts so… so damn much!" the distraught voice proclaimed.

The soothing voice softly said, "I know it does Vid, but you just need to remember the exercises… deep breaths, in and o-"

"THEY DON'T WORK!" The outburst was accompanied by a bright flash of light, bringing up an indistinct silhouette of a feminine figure. Qrow paused before he continued to silently inch closer, peering around the corner. Glancing around the corner, he could see the back of a girl dressed in black stockings, a black skirt, black heels, and a white button-up, along with a black mini-cape, beautiful blonde hair done up in a bun. Standing in front of her was a panicked looking girl, staring at her hands which were, along with most of her arms, wreathed in a strange black flame. She was dressed in a purple dress that came down far enough to hide her feet from view with a hood that covered most of her head, though he could see that she had messy, snow white hair. Tears were streaming down her panicked face as she looked to the other girl, one of her eyes gold while the other was wreathed in shadowy flames like her arm.

She seemed to be hyper-ventilating as she said in a panic, "I… I didn't mean… G-Glynda, I… I can't handle this… there's too many voices, and… and I just…"

The other girl, Glynda approached her friend, hands beginning to glow purple as she gripped her fiery hands, the glow seemingly protecting her from the flames as she said, "Invidia, look at me… LOOK AT ME!" Her tone turned stern, snapping the other's gaze to her own. They simply stared for a moment, Qrow thinking nothing was happening until he saw the other girl, Invidia it seemed, begin to slow her breathing. Slowly, she closed her eyes, the fire dying out as the glowing, black eye shut. Once it was fully closed, the fire was completely gone, the purple glow fading with it. After a few breaths, she slowly opened her eyes, the formerly glowing one now simply a pure black iris, no color to it.

Slowly, she let go of Glynda's hands, reaching down to a pocket on her dress and draw an eye-patch with a purple rune upon it, donning it as she quietly said, "I told you doing my therapy on this ship was a bad idea… there's someone watching us by the way."

Glynda spun around, a riding crop of all things practically appearing in her hand, eyes flashing with anger behind her glasses, calling out, "Who's there!" Before Qrow could do or say a thing, she flicked the crop and he felt himself tugged forcefully out into the open with a shout of surprise, landing in a sprawl. When he looked up, he found himself nose-to-tip with her crop, her eyes glinting purple for a moment as she glared down at him.

* * *

While Qrow walked off, Ozpin and Winter continued to converse with Cinder and Molly, the Faunus more relaxed, though she still seemed wary of all but the smaller girl in the red who spoke openly and with a kindness to her voice. Winter laughed at a joke Cinder made before asking, "So, we've never seen you at Signal, where are you two from? And how'd you do that glowy thing with your staff, Molly? Is it a rounded Dust crystal or something?"

Molly glanced at her staff, nodding as she said, "Yes, it's Dust. It amplifies my Dust channeling."

Winter raised a brow, asking, "Dust channeling? What do you mean?"

Ozpin rolled his eyes, saying, "It means she uses Dust as her weapon." At Winter's blank stare, Ozpin frowned, saying, "Do you ever pay attention in class? Some people don't need physical Dust to make use of its properties, they can use their aura instead. Some don't even use weapons with their ability, though they usually carry Dust in some form to add more kick to it."

Cinder nodded, smiling as she said, "Well put, Mr. Ozpin. Both Molly and myself are Dust users, along with a school mate of ours, and my sister. The four of us were all taught by the same person, home schooled in fact, by the greatest Dust wielding huntress of them all… Lady La Fey."


	3. Chapter 3 - Death's Dance Partner

"_For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death._ _I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee._"

-Pyrrah Nikos

Qrow put his hands up defensively, chuckling nervously as he said, "Woah there! Hey, uh, Glynda, right? I don't mean you any trouble, I just, I heard crying and wanted to come see if I could help, but when I saw that bright flash, I thought it would be best to, ya know, look before I leap?"

The blonde with the glasses, Glynda, smirked a bit at his behavior, only for it to vanish when the black-clad figure that was her friend Invidia said, "He's not afraid of you." At the look of reprimand, Invidia looked down, her voice softening as she said, "Sorry, it was a surface thought. You know I have trouble not picking those up… but he isn't afraid of you like you think he is… he doesn't fear death at all… they've already shared a dance."

While Glynda's look became full of curiosity, Qrow's became one of shock… and more than a little fear as he softly asked, "What… how do you…"

Before he could finish the sentence, her golden eye, looking like a candle in the darkness under the hood of her dress, seemed to pierce his very soul as she finished it, "Know that? I can see it, Qrow Rose Never-Slayer… I can see how she came to your broken body, and how the two of you did dance…" She started closer to him, and it seemed like all the world was fading to darkness as he stared wide-eyed into her own. "You danced so gracefully, Qrow… but it was not the last dance that the two of you shall share, unlike so many others who become lost to the darkness of her dance… I see that you still see her from time to time as well." As he opened his mouth to say something, a pale hand left the sleeve of her black dress, going to her hidden lips as she gently shushed him, saying, "No… no, you're not mad… I can see that your mind is not broken… and trust me, I know a broken mind when I see one."

The 'spell' seemed to shatter at the sound of Glynda's voice, calling out, "INVIDIA!" Both Qrow and Invidia looked to her before looking back at each other, finding that during her… 'episode', she had approached him to the point of nearly touching him.

Letting out a noise of surprise, she moved quickly behind Glynda, her voice, seconds ago soft, but with a terrible strength to it, was suddenly soft and frightened as she asked, "W-what happened? Why did you let him get that close to me!?"

Glynda turned, hugging her and making soothing noises, whispering, "Vid, it wasn't him, it was you. You went to him, talking about… well, Death, as in the specter of Death as if it were a woman."

A small sob escaped the girl as she buried her face in Glynda's shoulder, her voice muffled as she said, "I don't remember doing any of that!"

Qrow slowly got to his feet, obviously shaken, confused, even a little scared. Though he was by no means stupid, he didn't claim to be the brightest tool in the shed either, but he knew two things at this point. He knew that this girl was far from normal, and may be physically weak, but possessed a strange and great power… and he knew she was crying. He closed his eyes for a moment before reaching into his pocket for something he hoped would be best for the situation. Glynda and Invidia turned to him at the sound of crinkling plastic, Invidia at first fearful while Glynda looked ready to toss him off of the airship, only for both to be slightly confused as he held out a little sphere wrapped in brightly lit plastic as he asked, "Do you… do you like candy?"

The two simply stared at him before Invidia quietly asked, "What flavor is it?"

* * *

While Winter looked in confusion as Cinder's name drop, Ozpin raised a brow in shock, asking, "Lady La Fey? As in, _the_ Lady La Fey?" At Cinder and Molly's nod of affirmation, Ozpin grinned running a hand through his hair as he said, "Wow… I can't believe it… two students, sorry, four students of Lady La Fey are going to Beacon with us!"

Winter frowned, tapping his temple as he thought before asking, "Isn't she the one who lives in the haunted castle in the deepest, darkest part of Forever Fall?"

Molly smiled, saying, "It isn't haunted, but yes, that's where we all lived and learned from her. It made for an… interesting childhood. I'll certainly miss Briar Keep."

Ozpin turned to Winter, saying, "She doesn't just live there though. She's actually a noble Lady with a title an everything that comes with it. Also, she used to be married to our soon-to-be headmaster, Professor Ambrosius."

Cinder grinned, moving to stand a bit closer to Ozpin, saying, "Well, well, well Mr. Ozpin, you continue to impress. Manners and what seems to be a thoroughly educated mind? Tell me, is there anything you can't do?"

Ozpin smiled as she slid closer, opening his mouth to say something before Winter threw an arm over his shoulder again, pulling him close, saying, "Yeah, good 'ol Ozzy here is definitely the brains of the operation!"

While Ozpin practically threw him off, much to Winter's amusement, Cinder frowned, raising a brow at his behavior, slowly saying, "Right… anyway, have either of you heard about the initiation process? I heard that it's a rather dangerous test into Forever Fall."

Winter shrugged, saying, "So what if it is? You guys grew up there, right?"

Molly frowned, a dark fingernail gliding over her crystal as she said, "Yes, but the castle was protected, and the region, while dark and 'spooky' isn't that heavily populated by the creatures of Grimm."

Cinder shrugged, smiling as she said, "I'm still not too worried. I doubt we'll run into anything too strong. I mean, if it were too challenging, they wouldn't have enough students survive to actually attend class, right?"

The other three nodded in agreement, though Ozpin seemed a bit uneasy as he said, "Deaths during initiation isn't unheard of though. They can't baby us, otherwise we wouldn't be Huntsmen and Huntresses of any worth, would we? We need to be challenged… 'Great men are forged in fire,' as they say."

Winter's question of, "Who's 'they'?" was answered by a flick to the ear, an act of aggression that went unanswered as they heard the other students on the starboard side begin to excitedly point and shout. The four of them ran over to watch as the airship began its descent towards the castle-like Beacon Academy. Winter grinned excitedly, pressing his face against the glass while Ozpin, though obviously glad to be here wasn't so childish about it. Glancing around to examine the variety of expressions ranging from joy, like Winter's, to nauseous looking students stepping away or even going for the bathroom or trash can. He also spotted Roman who, in turn, spotted him, nodding politely whilst tipping his hat. Though he didn't exactly agree with his views on Faunus, he gave a polite nod in return before returning his gaze to the view. They had finally made it to Beacon Academy, the place that would change the lives of everyone on the ship for better… or for worse.

((I know that this was a relatively short 'chapter', but I'll try to make longer ones without needlessly adding filler... like this, heh. Anyway, reviews are, as always, welcome, and if there are any charitable, artistic individuals out there who would be interested in drawing a cover art image, shoot me a PM and we'll hash it out. Hope you enjoy this bit))


	4. Chapter 4 - Go Go Pajama Party!

"_Well, remember, Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation. If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn to work together."_

-Yang Xiao Long to her sister, Ruby Rose

As the airship began its descent, Qrow looked in curiosity and caution at the odd pair he had found towards the back of the ship. A serious looking blonde by the name of Glynda who, for some reason, carried a riding crop of all things, and her friend, Invidia. She was what drew most of his attention simply because she had somehow known things about him he hadn't even told his own brother. So, he studied her for a moment as she happily sucked on the strawberry candy in her mouth before Glynda drew his attention with the question of, "So, do you usually give candy to crying girls who are all alone?"

Qrow blushed at the implications she was making, holding up his hands defensively, saying, "What? No, I just… I hate seeing people upset is all… and the world we live in, seeing upset people can be common at times, especially when visiting cities and the like. So, I carry stuff to at least try and cheer people up."

Glynda raised a brow, saying, "That's… oddly optimistic, given your appearance."

Qrow simply blinked in confusion, asking, "What do you mean?"

She gestured at his black ensemble, saying, "Well, usually people who dress in dark colors tend to be of a darker mindset than others. That's been my experience anyway, limited as it is."

Invidia frowned hugging herself in her black, hooded dress, softly saying, "I'm not dark… I don't mean to be anyway."

Glynda turned, a smile breaking through her cold exterior as she pulled Invidia into a one handed hug, saying, "You're the exception that proves the rule, Vid." Turning to Qrow, her expression hardened again, though not as much as before as she said, "Well, Qrow, thank you for your concern, but we're both fine now." As she spoke, the ship shuddered, finally settling down onto proper, solid ground. Pulling Invidia with her gently, she said, "I hope you have a good day sir."

As they walked off, Invidia looked back over her shoulder at Qrow, giving a little wave, a small smile just visible beneath the shadows of her hood. Qrow returned her little wave with one of his own, thoroughly confused by what just happened. He was determined to get to the bottom of it, but not now. She was just crying her eyes out; he wasn't going to go harass her about it. So, he headed off to go find his friends.

After wandering around the emptying ship, he realized that they'd disembarked without him. He didn't mind, but he would've appreciated at least a text on his scroll if nothing else. With a sigh, he made his way off and started trying to spot them through the crowd of students; both prospective like him and those who were clearly beyond their first year in attendance. He eventually heard Winter shouting, spotting him standing on a railing waving energetically with Ozpin nearby, waiting patiently. Smiling, he made his way over, Winter hopping onto the ground, saying, "There ya are bro! Heh, here I thought you'd fallen off the dock or something. I'd hate to have to collect what's left of you with a dustpan, man."

Chuckling, Qrow shrugged, saying, "Sorry, ran into some… interesting characters. So, what'd I miss? Where'd Molly and that little red number run off to, or did they get sick of you guys."

Ozpin smiled, starting towards the school, the other two falling in step on either side of him as he said, "They went on ahead while we waited, had to go find their friend and Cinder, that 'red number', had to find her sister. So, I believe we head to the auditorium for a speech by Professor Ambrosius."

"Professor Who?" The sudden voice behind them caused the three of them to spin around, Winter backing up taking a ridiculous 'kung-fu' pose, Ozpin taking a single step back, a long, thin blade halfway drawn from his cane as he turned, while Qrow moved the faster. Taking a step forward, his black scythe was unsheathed, half-way formed as a single, massive shotgun. Roman Torchwick blinked as he held his hands up defensively, chuckling nervously as he said, "Woah there, guys!"

The Rose brothers and Ozpin all blinked in surprise before relaxing, Qrow collapsing his weapon again before slipping it into the holster on his back, Winter saying, "Jeez Roman, what the heck? Do you make a habit of sneaking up on people or something?"

Ozpin was fairly impressed by the stealth their red-headed acquaintance had shown, Roman just chuckling and lowering his hands, saying, "Sorry guys, didn't think you'd be so jumpy. So, who's this Professor Amber you were talking about?"

The three turned and started walking, Roman falling in step with them, walking next to Winter as Ozpin said, "Professor Ambrosius is our new headmaster, and a powerful Dust channeler."

Roman nodded, twirling his cane in one hand in slow circles, saying, "Sounds like an interesting guy."

Ozpin nodded in agreement; glad he didn't have to explain again what a Dust channeler was. It seemed pretty clear that Roman, though racist, was at least well learned. The four of them made their way into the atrium, asking a passing upper classmen for directions. As they stood, waiting for it to start, Ozpin spotted Cinder standing with Molly and two other girls that he hadn't met, though Qrow had. The dark-haired beauty smiled at him, giving a little wave that he returned with a smile of his own.

Both of their gazes were drawn to the stage though when a man stepped up. To say he was old was like saying the school was nice in that the term doesn't do it any justice. He had a beard reaching to his knees that he kept tucked in the belt of his ornate robes, though it looked like it was very well cared for. His hair was quite long as well, put in a ponytail reaching his waist with both hair and beard a silvery white. As he looked around his eyes showed a strength undermining the otherwise old and frail appearance he held. He didn't say anything at first, simply looking at the crowd before a soft smile lit up his face, his arms rising as he spoke into the microphone, "Students… welcome to Beacon. I am your headmaster, Professor Ambrosius, and may I just say that it is an honor to see so many prospective students here seeking to test your mettle. I know that every one of you has come from prestigious Hunting academies seeking to further hone your craft and become true Huntsmen and Huntresses, and I do hope you do not leave here disappointed. I look forward to getting to know everyone one of you over the next four years… well, those of you who pass initiation at any rate. Now, I pass the proverbial torch to the Deputy Headmaster, Professor Táogōng."

A rather stern looking man who by his looks and name either came from an eastern kingdom, or is a descendent of those who came from that region. He looked older, a scar on his forehead obscured by the bangs of his black hair. Looking around, he said, "Students, tonight you shall be sleeping in the ballroom. Tomorrow you will gather at Beacon Cliff where your initiation shall begin. Now, you are dismissed." Turning, he left with the Headmaster while the students began to disperse, heading for the ballroom.

* * *

Ozpin, Qrow, and Winter started towards the ballroom with everyone else, winter chuckling as he said, "Heh, guess it's a co-ed sleep over tonight then, eh? Wonder if some of the gals forgot to pack a proper pajamas… they may be forced to sleep in their underwear, heh."

Qrow sighed, giving his younger brother a smack upside the head while Ozpin said, "You are such a pig Winter, the Gods only know why I hang out with you."

Qrow chuckled at that, saying, "Because in the end he's not that bad… besides, if not for us, no one would hang out with you."

Ozpin frowned at that, opening his mouth to dispute that when an arm was suddenly thrown around his and Qrow's necks as Roman came up from behind, chuckling as he said, "Ha ha, hey guys! Looks like it's gonna be a co-ed sleep over, eh?" Ozpin groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose with one hand while Winter burst out laughing.

A few hours later, the Rose brothers, Ozpin, and even Roman had set up their cots for bed. While they hadn't invited Roman to join them, they hadn't turned him away either. The Roman and the Roses were just wearing T-shirts and shorts while Ozpin was wearing a smoking jacket in emerald green with black sleeping pants and slippers.

Roman and Winter lay on their cots, tossing a ball back and forth between one another while Ozpin drew in a sketch pad of his. After sitting there for a few moments, Qrow stood and started off, saying, "I'll be back in a bit, alright? I need to go talk to someone." The others nodded as their tall, dark-haired friend walked off. Wandering through the ball room he smile and made small talk with those who seemed friendly avoiding the meat-head types. Eventually he found where Glynda and Invidia were, the two set up set up closer to each other than Cinder and Molly, though they weren't too far away from them. Looking up, Molly and Cinder gave a friendly smile to him while Glynda gave one of curiosity. He couldn't tell what was on Invidia's face due to the fact she'd swapped out her hooded black dress for, well, a hooded black robe. They were all garbed in robes actually, Cinder in a red one, Glynda in a white and purple one and Ruby wore a Black and purple one.

Cinder smiled as she asked, "Hey there big guy, what are you up to?"

Qrow grinned, giving a wave as he said, "Hey Cinder, I was just hoping to talk to Invidia actually about something that came up earlier on the airship." Turning to the dark girl, he knelt down, speaking to her as he asked, "So… mind if we talk?"

Glynda held up a hand, saying in a quiet tone, "Stop right there. She's not talking to you Mr. Rose, so you might as well just walk away, right now."

Frowning, Qrow looked to her, his voice raising as he said, "You know, I'm just about sick of the attitude lady, what have I said to make you so-" He froze at the sound of Invidia making a murmuring sound, shifting in her sleep, the hood shifting enough for him to see that she was, in fact, fast asleep.

Qrow blushed slightly while Cinder and Molly fought to resist laughing, Glynda frowning as she kept her low tone as she said, "That's why… jackass."

* * *

Roman sighed as he missed catching the ball, watching it roll away with Winter. The two stared at it for a few moments before Roman asked, "You gonna go get it?"

Winter shook his head, saying, "Nope… too much effort… it's, like, five feet away. Waaaaay too far away."

Roman grunted in agreement before asking, "So, what do we do to pass the time now?"

Winter tapped his chin in thought for a few moments before he grinned, saying, "I know! …Let's bug Ozzy!"

Ozpin finally glanced up from his sketch pad, eyes narrowed as he said, "No."

The other two chuckled in amusement at his reaction, Roman saying, "Well, there goes that idea which brings us back to the whole 'boredom' thing."

Ozpin sighed in frustration, setting his sketch pad aside and getting up, saying, "You two are insufferable, you know that?" Going over to the ball, he tossed it to Winter, the younger Rose grabbing it out of the air with deft hands, chuckling.

((Hey, I'm back. Had to move and stuff. Quick question, if something isn't 'off-screen' in an RP, but still referred to that's of a more mature level, does that mean the story should be mature? I ask because of things to come much, much further down the road))


End file.
